"There were steps," Pruthvi continued, "that took me way down and I realized it was taking me almost under the ground to another room just like the secret room beneath the throne. It's entrance was huge, abnormally huge. There were parts and pieces of glass everywhere. I guess the walls were made of glass, like our training room, atleast it seemed to me so."

Although Pruthvi was an expert in technology, he didn't seem to have a knack of explaining things well. But I understood what he was trying to say and so I didn't ask him to repeat which could have only made it more confusing. Frowning, I asked, "So?"

"It was completely shattered, as if there had been an incident in the past, like a huge blast or something. It was tough for me to find anything that could help me get out of there, it was too spooky. Not knowing what to do, and where to go, I just sat down on the floor and slept."

"Huh?" I asked, nonplussed, "How can you sleep if it was such a spooky place?"

"I know," he said, "I do have some sleep issues. Leena always says I sleep too much..."

"Okay," I interjected, realizing that that might be the time I had slept dreaming about Zarina Khan, "Let's get back to the topic. How did you wake up then? I am sure you aren't carrying your horrible alarm with you."

"I was awakened by some noises. When I got up and looked around, I found two people standing inside the room."

"Who?"

"Shourya," he said and quickly added, "with Anmol."

My mouth dropped. "Anmol? Anmol is here?"

"Yes," he said. He adjusted his glasses up and swallowed a bile, finding it hard to say the rest, "Hayden, they are planning big this time. Can you imagine there is a stone that has the only power in the world to kill us?"

"The Enemy Stone," I said, words rushing out of my mouth, "also called as the Green stone. I know about it."

"Don't call it a green stone," he said, harshly, "Green stone is mine."

I blinked, jerking back. His sudden reaction eerily reminded me of what Ashwant had told me a couple of hours ago, that how the emerald was always compared with The Enemy Stone, and that had led to some consequences like war among the Samagraha themselves.

This was second time he was reacting this way and the first time was when...my eyes flew wide open on remembering when. Of course, I had seen the stone already. It must be the same green stone in the painting down in the secret room. The woman in purple saree must be Lady Drishtika, and the baby...was the baby grew up to be Lady Chandrika's husband?

"It's also called Shaatrumani Stone," he continued, grabbing back my attention, "and the most scariest thing is, Anmol already has it."

"What?" I exploded, "It was Anmol who stole it?"

He snapped a look at me. "Stole? What do you mean?"

"I will tell you later, it's a long story," I said, "Finish yours. Did they see you?"

He shook his head. "No, not right away. I just hid behind the wall and heard them speak for a while."

"About?"

"About how the stone shall be used on us. They were talking about a curse that is needed to be lift off." His eyes began to shimmer and it worried me to core. "Hayden, to lift the curse, it seems a blood of Samagraha is required."

I sat stock-still, trying to control my nerve. "You mean the one who can lift the curse is among us?"

He nodded gravely. "And...and Anmol was saying that they have been preparing the Samagraha to have no objection in giving away his blood... from the past two months."

My breath caught in my throat. "His?" I barely asked.

He nodded again. "I...I don't know about whom they were talking about. But don't you think we...we know who it is?"

I looked away unable to look into his eyes that were stating the obvious answer. I tried to keep my mind from pondering anywhere around it, but the recent events at the academy were clearly stating which Samagraha it was.

He has been acting weirdly, as if he was possessed. Even though he was depressed for Celina, how naïve of us to even think that his depression was responsible for his sudden change in behavior. So I was right. It was Shashi, all along. But how was he doing it? Even today neither Doctor, nor we, were able to find out how he had sneaked out of the academy that day. What if...Oh my god! What if he had used Gates of Chandrika? Was he the one responsible for stealing the piece of The Silver Rock?

"Hayden," said Pruthvi, an intense strain in his voice, "I think it is..."

"It can't be," I cut him, hoarsely, "Don't say it."

He sighed and said in a low voice. "I wish facts can be changed if denied."

I pressed my eyes shut. I wasn't ready for this. I wasn't able to accept the fact that Tyrell, my dear friend Tyrell, could have anything to do with The Enemy Stone- the stone that has a power to kill a Samagraha...kill me and my friends...Celina?

"What happened next?" I asked, trying to move on, "How did Shourya and his men attack both of you?"

He licked his upper lip, trying to come out of his own thoughts. "I think Shourya asked her to hide somewhere till Anmol was gone. Now I understand that it was her disability that put her in danger. Unknowingly, she appeared before them. And the topic between Shourya and Anmol changed. They began to have a row. Anmol was shouting things like-'Big mistake' and 'You are going to pay for this betrayal' and blah-blah. And Shourya acted immediately. He asked Nazira to run away. Then I noticed there was another door, that leads exactly to the backside of the palace."

"And the hounds?" I asked, "They just appeared?"

"Yes," he said, "they came running from the forest. I was so scared. I didn't care about anything and ran after Nazira and Anmol. As soon as I went outside I attacked Anmol. He couldn't get his hand on her but still he escaped from my captivity. Again, I forgot to call Makara, man, I have to get used to him. But then a miracle happened."

"What?"

"Hardik appeared, out of nowhere. I used it to attack a few of them and on realizing how useless it was, I called you."

I frowned at first and then it struck me. Of course, we have left our bags in the secret room. Mine was still there.

"How did Hardik know you were there?"

"I don't know," he shrugged, "May be it is in love with me."

************************************************************

Pruthvi and I tried a hell lot of times contacting Leena. It was tiring to know that she wasn't responding each and every time, not that it was her fault. Things were getting too uncanny, now that we had an idea what has been happening with Tyrell all those days. We so wanted to rush back to him and do the needful. He needed his friends, and I ashamed of realizing it now.

Then there was something else making me sick- my empty stomach. Guess my new command I tried today to attack the hound, had taken most of my energy and it was surprising even to me, that I was still conscious. Thanks to Nazira that she offered us some grapes and bread pieces only for the moment for us to remain active.

Later awhile, when it was turning darker, Pruthvi slept and he slept like a baby. My thoughts were lingered upon Tyrell, and that was not letting me to even shut my eyes. I was just waiting for Leena to respond. And as soon as I get the chance to go back to the academy, I and Pruthvi really needed to put some sense into Tyrell that to not fall into Shashi's traps in any circumstances.

Neither Nazira was sleeping, although I noticed her eyes were heavy, she remained awake. Perhaps she was looking forward to finally leave her lonely life behind. She was standing beside the window looking out blankly, as if she was waiting for someone. I looked at Pruthvi only to make sure if he was sound asleep. And when I was positive, I decided to take the opportunity to talk to her. I inhaled deeply, bracing myself and took a step.

"Is it morning already?" Pruthvi asked, waking up at the right time, stretching his muscles.

Grumbling beneath my breath, I stepped back.

A little later awhile, when I guessed it was almost morning, Pruthvi came up with an idea to try and contact Leena from outside the palace. Tyrell always said this contact thing wasn't anything like telephone, But Pruthvi and I always thought it worked that way. So we decided to go give it a try.

Tell me again why didn't we get that idea hours ago?

Hardik was carrying Nazira's trunk. It kept following us, all the way through the passageway and into the great hall. While entering inside, last evening , I was so immersed in staring at...well...I didn't even think of looking around at the hall in the daylight. And now was my chance.

I looked at the posh chair first. A high back resting chair, placed at the center of the three steps high stage, dark oak finish, now eaten by the moth and red velvety torn cloth. Even in such a poor condition, the throne seemed to be emanating it's power. And then I looked at all the paintings on the wall.

Pruthvi went ahead to contact Leena leaving me and Nazira alone in the great hall. I was doing it again. She caught my eye and might have noticed that I was staring at her. Trying to act innocent, I smiled in a friendly way. She immediately averted her eyes away.

Okay, Awkwa...rd!

Chiding myself for being such a spoilt brat, I unknowingly looked above her head. The colorful family portrait of the Thribhuvans grabbed my attention to the fullest. A male adult, probably nearing fifty, having both of his hands on the shoulders of the two boys. I had seen it earlier in the dark two days ago and now it again intrigued me to watch it comprehensively. The older boy, smiling wholeheartedly and the younger boy, stout and tough, holding on a forced smile, his glacial blue eyes filled with greed, was captured quite tremendously in the painting.

But then I noticed something strange. I furrowed my brow and I shrunk my eyes. Impulsively, I started walking towards the painting. Nazira followed my gaze and walked aside to let me have a proper look.

The adult and the boys weren't the only people in the portrait. There was a group of men standing behind them. Out of them, the one, that my eye stuck on, was tall and graceful, holding a shield with his right hand. Every feature on his was the same as I had seen him before on the Uilani hill except two particular things were missing- there was no scar running down from his forehead to his cheek and his eyes weren't blue.

"Shashi Thribhuvan?" I said it aloud, comparing him with the younger chubby boy.

Nazira stood beside me. She must have read my lips and pointed at the younger boy saying, "He is Shashi."

I looked down at her baffled and said, "No, the man standing back among the others is Shashi. I have seen him before."

I pointed at him to clear my point.

Nazira shook her head again, and repeated, stressing on her words, still pointing at the younger boy. "No, he is Shashi, for real."

I gaped at her, not in that way. "How can you be sure?"

"Because Queen Premila told me."

"Then who are the people at the back? What do you know about them?"

"They are Rawat's knights."

Shock groped me, once again. A muffled voice passed out of my mouth, "That is not possible."

For once I thought my head was going to explode with all the confusion this very painting was creating. Shashi Thribhuvan was supposed to be young when this painting was made. If he is not him then who is he?

"Hayden," Pruthvi came back shouting at me. Hardik kept following him. "It worked. Leena responded but she seemed a little tensed. Hey listen, there is something going in the forest. I think some kind of fight."

I didn't hear a word he was saying. I looked back at the painting watching it again, when he came over to stand beside me and Hardik settled on the ground.

"What is going on?" he asked noticing my confused expression.

"Pruthvi, check this out...."

"They are so right!"

Nazira didn't, but I and Pruthvi spun around hearing an unknown voice that came from the threshold of the court's entrance. Brilliant light closing behind the person.

He was someone I had never seen before. Supposedly aged in mid forties, his skin dark ebony, wearing a black loin down his waist, his chest covered with thousand colored beads. On looking everything around his neck, I spotted a silver colored chain, holding The Green stone.

My heart pounded beneath my chest as the temperature dropped to an infinite degree. I was barely able to let my voice out but I still managed to say it. "The Shaatrumani Stone!"

"That is correct," he said glaring at me with his sharp, anger filled eyes, "You do look a lot like your mother, Fire of Vengeance!"

-x-